People who bought this also bought...

Amos Fortune, Free Man

Amos Fortune was born the son of an African king. In 1725, when he was 15 years old, he was captured by slave traders, brought to America and sold at auction. For 45 years, Amos worked as a slave and dreamed of freedom. At 60, he began to see those dreams come true.

A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal 1830-32

Thirteen-year-old Catherine Cabot Hall put ink to the first unblemished page of her diary on October 17, 1830, the day after her father returned from Boston with the diary tucked conspicuously under his arm. Catherine's mother had died of fever four years before, and now Catherine performed the duties of housewife and mother, living contentedly with her father and younger sister, Matty, on their New Hampshire farm. In spite of the daily hardships, Catherine had much to be thankful for, especially for Cassie, her dearest friend.

The Door in the Wall

Ever since he can remember, Robin, son of Sir John de Bureford, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin's destiny is changed in one stroke when he falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him and Robin is left alone.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia

Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don't believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch.

The Bronze Bow

As a young boy, 18-year-old Daniel witnessed his father’s crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. Consumed by hate, his one desire is to drive the legions from Israel. But as he works with a band of outlaws using guerrilla tactics, he also begins to pay attention to the teachings of a wandering rabbi from a nearby town. Caught between his desire for revenge and the demands of his family, Daniel goes repeatedly to hear Jesus preach. Each time he leaves disappointed that Jesus doesn’t take a stand against the Romans. Will Daniel learn to heed the message of forgiveness before his violent lifestyle leads to disaster?

Crispin: The Cross of Lead

In the small 14th-century English village where he has lived his entire life, the boy has grown up with no name of his own, known only as "Asta's son". But when his mother dies, the boy receives both his rightful name, Crispin, and a lead cross, inscribed with a secret that soon has him fleeing for his life.

Bridge to Terabithia

Jess Aarons' greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in his grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new girl boldly crosses over to the boys' side and outruns everyone.That's not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. Together, they create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen.

Holes

Stanley Yelnats isn't so surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a juvenile detention center. After all, his family has been ridden with bad luck ever since a one-legged gypsy put a curse on his great-great grandfather. He is told that the hard labor he must perform, digging five-foot holes in the dried up soil where Green Lake once sat, is meant to build character. But it soon becomes clear to Stanley that the warden is really using the boys to search for something very valuable.

The Secret Garden

When Mary Lennox's parents die from cholera in India, the spoiled orphan is transplanted to her uncle's 600-year-old gloomy and secretive estate in England. She is certain that she is destined for misery at Misselthwaite Manor. However, she soon discovers an arched doorway into an overgrown garden, locked shut since the death of her aunt 10 years earlier.

The Sign of the Beaver

At just 12 years old, Matt must face serious challenges in the Maine wilderness while awaiting his father's return to their cabin. When he is saved from a terrifying bee swarm attack by an Indian chief and his grandson Attean, Matt gains a valuable friend in the young Indian boy.

Sounder

A landmark in children's literature, winner of the 1970 Newbery Medal, and the basis of an acclaimed film, Sounder traces the keen sorrow and the abiding faith of a poor African-American boy in the 19th-century South. The boy's father is a sharecropper, struggling to feed his family in hard times. Night after night, he and his great coon dog, Sounder, return to the cabin empty-handed.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Since its publication over forty years ago, this heartwarming tale of a boy and his dogs has touched millions. A tale of adventure, special friendship and coming-of-age, Where the Red Fern Grows makes for delightful listening. This unabridged production, featuring a moving performance by Anthony Heald, brings this enduring classic to life and makes a powerful story even more unforgettable.

Tuck Everlasting

When 10-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles upon the Tuck family's disturbing secret, she is forced to come to terms with her conflicting emotions. She feels drawn to the loving, gentle, and rather eccentric Tucks, but what they tell her is too incredible to be believed. Doomed to, or blessed with, eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family tries to make Winnie understand that the terrible magic of the forest spring can never be revealed.

The Giver

December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man, the man called only the Giver, he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.

Wonder

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school - until now. He’s about to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances?R. J. Palacio has crafted an uplifting novel full of wonderfully realistic family interactions, lively school scenes, and writing that shines with spare emotional power.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Island of the Blue Dolphins is the remarkable story of a strange and beautiful Indian girl who lives a serene and courageous life as the solitary survivor on an island off the California coast. Left behind when the rest of her tribe fled, she waits, year after year, for a ship to come for her. She fights for her very survival, building a shelter, hunting for food, and making weapons to stave off her enemies, the wild dogs who took her brother.

Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a young girl in Aguascalientes, Mexico could want. But a sudden tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. There they confront the challenges of hard work, acceptance by their own people, and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression. Pam Munoz Ryan eloquently portrays the Mexican workers' plight in this abundant and passionate novel.

Hatchet

Newbery Award-winner Gary Paulsen's best-known book comes to audio in this breathless, heart-gripping drama about a boy pitted against the wilderness with only a hatchet and a will to live. On his way to visit his recently divorced father in the Canadian mountains, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is the only survivor when the single-engine plane crashes. His body battered, his clothes in shreds, Brian must now stay alive in the boundless Canadian wilderness.

Teacher / music lover / book lover says:"Survival Story for Grades 5 or 6 through 8."

Through Gates of Splendor

In January 1956, a tragic story flooded headlines around the world. Five men, spurred by a passion to share the good news of Jesus Christ, ventured deep into the jungles of Ecuador. Their goal: to make contact with an isolated tribe whose previous response to the outside world had been to attack all strangers.Through Gates of Splendor, the story of Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Jim Elliot, was first recorded in 1956 by Jim's widow, Elisabeth.

The Devil's Arithmetic

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award and an American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists", The Devil's Arithmetic plunges the listener into the terrible realities of the Nazi concentration camps. Chaya's tale is a celebration of the strength of the human spirit and a dramatic introduction to the darkest period of modern history.

The Boy Who Dared

When 16-year-old Helmuth Hubner listens to the BBC news on an illegal short-wave radio, he quickly discovers Germany is lying to the people. But when he tries to expose the truth with leaflets, he's tried for treason. Sentenced to death and waiting in a jail cell, Helmuth's story emerges in a series of flashbacks that show his growth from a naive child caught up in the patriotism of the times, to a sensitive and mature young man who thinks for himself.

Stone Fox

Little Willy has a big job to do. When his grandfather falls ill, it is up to Willy alone to save their farm from the tax collector. So he enters the National Dogsled Race, where he must beat the Indian Stone Fox and his five beautiful Samoyed dogs.

Publisher's Summary

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

Number the Stars is the 1990 Newbery Medal winner for most distinguished American children's book.

Click here to see a full list of Newbery Medal winners and Newbery Honor winners.

What the Critics Say

Newbery Medal Winner, 1990

"The combination of Brown's steady voice and Lowry's dramatic story creates a mesmerizing production." (AudioFile) "Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery." (School Library Journal)

Number the Stars is the story of two little girls whose friendship is put to the test by the Nazi invasion of Denmark. Although the protagonists in this story are children, people of all ages will enjoy this book. Historical fiction at its finest, it captures both the facts and the feelings of the era. You will want to weep for the divided families and children forced to grow up too quickly. Your pulse will quicken every time the Nazis knock on the door. You will glimpse their fading humanity. You will rejoice at the small victories the characters achieve.

I wish this book had been read by author Lois Lowry, since writers usually read their books better than anyone else. Reader Blair Brown is a nice consolation prize, though. Her reading of the book is smooth and graceful.

ADDED BONUS: At the end of the story there is a discussion about the historical facts behind this fictional account of the Nazi invasion. Not to be missed!

If you love historical fiction, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you love young adult literature, you will love this book. If you just plain love a good story, well told, you will LOVE this book. And at just under three hours, it's a relatively quick listen. I highly recommend it.

This is a wonderful story of a family helping neighbors and others escape the nazis during WWII. It is presented through the eyes of an adolescent girl and is suspenseful as well as uplifting. I think that 12-year olds through old agers could gain insight from this story.

I've read this book over and over since it was published, but I've never written a review. This is the story of the Danes during WWII and their efforts to save the Danish Jews from the concentration camps. Very few Danish Jews were slaughtered, most escaped to Sweden to evade the Nazis, all through the efforts of Danish citizens.

Originally written for the young adult market, it underlines the heroism of Danish youth and the Resistance. Well worth listening to for adults, teens, and pre-teens.

I can only appreciate the expertise of Ms. Lowry in providing everyday heroes for us all.

I read this on my own several years ago; it is up on the twins' 7th grade literature list so out it came again. The book is good. It's fairly simple in plot, with a nice splattering of medium-advanced vocabulary (scampered, peered, tiara) that go a bit beyond the standard fare but whose meanings are easily deduced by contextual references. The plot goes a bit on the slow side, so it's tough to keep my twins engaged (especially compared to Steinbeck's The Pearl which we read before this also because it's on the 7th grade literature list), but we are managing.

**** updated after we completed this novel ****This book is a great lens into WWII and Hitler's anti-Semitic campaign without being too.... graphic and direct. The author captures the terror, deprivation and repression of German occupation in a well woven web of familial and political ties. The narrative (1st person, from a young girl's perspective) is reflective, compelling and descriptive. The storyline arc is a steady crescendo towards resolution of several plots: why older sister Lise died, how Annabelle's Jeweish friend Ellen and her family will escape, and if Denmark will survive occupation. The epilogue is especially interesting - cocaine & dried blood on hankerchiefs. Brilliant!